1	Forestry Forestry improves the quality of our lives by providing wilderness and natural resources for industry simultaneously.
2	Wildlife
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6	Forestry Practices Forestry generally includes three basic practices. These are planting, stewardship, and harvesting. Planting can be as simple as placing a sapling in a good spot and hoping for the best. Nature isn’t always helpful.
7	Forestry Replanting Plan Our 5-year replanting plan is a continuation of our replacement of 2 trees for every tree harvested. We also biannually plant to fill in areas where natural forestry is unsuccessful. Most recently we planted the swamp with bald cypress.
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11	Sustainable Forestry and Stewardship The comparisons made between sustained forestry and traditional forestry are solely based on observations of current lumber practices by the author. These comparisons are solely the opinion of the author.
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13	Sustainable Forestry Background I decided to continue sustainable forestry on my family’s land due to the influence of my family and my Japanese mentor. My father has always been a steward of forests. I would call forest stewardship one of his hobbies.
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15	Sustainable Forestry Influences My uncle has owned a forest in Bloomington, Indiana since the 70’s. He is a forest advocate and a strong supporter of forestry for future generations. Currently he is putting his forest into a legacy program to prevent potential future housing developments.
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19	Sustainable Forestry Influences My grandmother and mother were always naturalists. They both love wildflowers, mushrooms, and nature walks.
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36	Sustainable Forestry Influences One of my mentors is an artistic wood broker and tree farmer in South Central Japan. He is not only a mountain tree farmer, but also an advocate for harvesting urban timber (HUT) in Japan. This trend is slowly gaining popularity in the US.
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40	Tree Selection for Harvest Trees are selected in traditional forestry based on species, size, location, and market demand. Planting is rarely used in sustained forests as forest saplings are expected to replace the removed stock. We select trees based on future potential growth, health, and potential disease hazards. Replanting is annually used to replace removed stock with desired species while increasing species diversity.
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44	Tree Harvesting Practices Traditional harvesting uses large machinery potentially impacting soil compaction and other trees. Roads must often be built to accommodate the machinery. This reduces the size of the natural forest and removes trees that are not ready for harvest. The long desired log lengths often damage trees that are not harvested as they are swung through the forest. The harvesting takes place year round regardless of ground conditions. Tree crowns are left cluttering the forest floor and increasing the risk of fire hazard, preventing some localized sapling growth, and damaging local wildflower development. This kind of harvest takes place on a 30-year cycle. Trees that die or are damaged in the middle 29 years of this cycle are lost.
45	Traditional Forestry Waste
46	More Traditional Forestry Waste
47	More of the accepted traditional practices
48	Future damage to saplings
49	Sustainable Harvesting Our harvesting takes place after the ground freezes in the winter as much as possible. Sap flow is often at a minimum if it is a live tree. Skidding is maximized on snow and ice pack to reduce soil compaction and minimize ground surface damage. Logs are often carried to avoid the damage of skidding altogether. Smaller equipment is used for log removal so paths rather than roads are used. Crowns are completely removed for firewood, mushroom farming, or soil improvement while reducing fire risks. This harvesting takes place annually so dead or dying trees are also harvested in a timely manner.
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64	Tree replanting Tree planting is used in some traditional forestry practices. This is often used in monoculture planting, conversion of unproductive lands into forest, and to replace clear-cut zones. Trees are selected for planting on a basis of diversity to reduce disease risks and meet future demand expectations on lumber.
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67	Forest Stand Improvement Traditional forestry commonly uses a practice of culling to remove undesirable tree species. Culling can be through the use of chemical herbicides or girdling. Culling is often the girdling, cutting of the bark in a complete circle to kill the tree, to remove low value trees. These trees are left to die, rot, and fall. This is often on about a 15-year cycle
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72	Forest Stand Improvement We do not waste the resource of any trees if they can be used. Instead of culling we harvest crowded or problematic trees. Regardless of species value, small logs are milled as well as the ideal logs. If trees are too small for lumber or artistic stock, firewood or mushroom logs are produced; brush is used to prevent erosion on steep slopes with valleys. Brush is also minimized to reduce fire risk through regular hauling and burning at specific locations. The ash is then used for fertilizer. We also use spore mass inoculation to introduce native beneficial species of fungus to the forest floor for fungal flora improvement. This practice is done annually.
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74	Lumber Selection Practices Traditional forestry harvests trees only in prime condition and quality. These are often the trees that replace stock with healthy, genetically superior seed and saplings. Removal of this stock may select for genetically inferior stock since poorer quality trees are not harvested. Traditional harvest occurs on a 30-year cycle.
75	Sustainable Forestry Practices
76	Lumber Selection Practices Our annual lumber selection is based entirely on tree health, stand crowding, & timber stand improvement for future generations. Trees are often harvested after natural death yet before extensive rot and damage. Spalted and decayed tree are also harvested for artistic uses.
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83	Sustainable Forestry Products
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107	Uses of our wood
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